Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight

Chapter 29

[Quality Checker – Kawaii]

Chapter 29: Revelation (2)

“Ugh, ugh! Uwaaaaa!”

Guillaume Blackwing tried to stop vomiting, but it was in vain. Dark magic continuously came out of his mouth.

As Guillaume Blackwing expelled the dark magic, his body gradually started withering. His black hair turned stark white as if they were bleached, these were the aftermath of the dark magic spell being lifted.

“Cough, cough…”

In an instant, Guillaume Blackwing had aged several years. He fell to the ground, unable to even stand, his body weakened beyond imagination.

The training ground fell into a hushed silence. Everyone was standing still due to the shock. Even the Duke was frozen in his place.

“Dark magic? Is this really dark magic?”

“Am I seeing this correctly?”

Murmurs echoed from various places. Everyone’s voices trembled.

“How…how do we deal with this?”

“Is it even possible? I’ve never encountered dark magic in my entire life.”

“This is not the time for us to fight amongst ourselves. We need to understand the situation first.”

There was only one person who could explain the situation. As if orchestrated, all eyes converged on one point.

Chelsea Goldpixie, visibly distressed, shook her head vigorously.

“I-I don’t know! I-I don’t know anything!”

Despite Chelsea’s panicked face, no one believed her words.

“Father! Please believe me! It has nothing to do with me!”

As it seemed that no one would believe her, Chelsea shouted towards the Duke.

“Father!”

Ignoring his daughter’s plea, the Duke remained silent, standing still without moving an inch.

“Why are the soldiers just standing there?”

Suddenly, breaking the silence, the Duke spoke.

“Immediately imprison Lady Chelsea in the dungeon.”

Upon his command, the soldiers stationed around the training ground began to move.

“Father! Please listen to me! I am innocent! I swear!”

Seeing this, Chelsea Goldpixie cried out in desperation, but the Duke’s order remained unchanged.

“What are you all doing! Can’t you protect me? Block the soldiers from coming!”

Chelsea shouted at her knights.

Without any hesitation, the knights drew their weapons and shouted back.

“If you come any closer, we’ll kill you!”

“To capture Lady Chelsea, you must defeat us first!”

The knights’ lively threats caused the soldiers to hesitate.

While the Duke’s soldiers were renowned for their prowess, they were helpless against the knights.

“Karl.”

At that moment, the Duke spoke again.

“Assist the soldiers and arrest Chelsea Goldpixie. Eliminate anyone who interferes.”

“I will follow your command.”

With his response, Karl Heimlich drew his sword. The chilling sound of the blade scraping against its sheath echoed throughout the training ground.

The faces of the knights guarding Chelsea paled at the sight.

One of the three high-class knights in the Apple Kingdom.

There was no need to explain how powerful his presence was.

“My lady, we will handle this! Please escape immediately!”

The knights abandoned the idea of confronting Karl Heimlich and chose to sacrifice their lives to let Chelsea Goldpixie escape.

“My lady, you must move quickly!”

“All right, I got it.”

Lady Chelsea Goldpixie attempted to flee as the knights advised.

However, before she could, Karl Heimlich swung his sword.

A blue aura swept across the training ground. The aura spread like a circle, cutting through everyone in its path.

“Huh?”

“What?”

Confusion appeared on the faces of the Duke’s servants.

The aura passed through them without causing any injuries.

However, not everyone emerged unscathed.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The movements of the knights who tried to protect Chelsea Goldpixie abruptly stopped.

“Why are you guys so quiet? Why is it so still…?”

Feeling discomfort, Chelsea reached out towards a knight.

But before her hand could make contact, blood burst forth from the knights’ body as if a sack filled with water had burst open, the only difference being that instead of water there was blood in it.

The knights’ bodies split in half, collapsing to the ground.

“…Kyaahhh!”

Chelsea Goldpixie screamed, blood-soaked, and clutched her head as if trying to wake up from a nightmare. She violently tore at her hair with both hands.

The knights who tried to fight against his aura were cut in half.

The attendants and soldiers, in awe of the advanced swordsmanship, looked at Karl Heimlich with faces full of reverence.

“What are you doing? Quickly surround Chelsea Goldpixie,”

The Duke shouted.

Upon the Duke’s command, the soldiers finally snapped out in reality. They surrounded Chelsea Goldpixie as instructed.

“Ah… Aah… Aaah!”

Chelsea Goldpixie, screaming in desperation, frantically looked around, as if searching for someone to help her.

Then, Chelsea Goldpixie’s pupils dilated.

“Sir Ernest!”

She had spotted Ernest Horowitz standing amidst the practitioners.

“Pl-Please help me! I-I beg you!”

At Chelsea’s plea, conflicting emotions appeared in Ernest Horowitz’s eyes.

“Please!”

Chelsea’s cry intensified Ernest Horowitz’s inner turmoil.

Addressing Ernest, Karl Heimlich said, “Sir Ernest, you have greatly contributed to the Duchy’s progress as a Middle Class knight. His Excellency still values you highly.”

Karl Heimlich’s voice remained steady, but the force he emanated was far from calm.

“However, if you protect Lady Chelsea, I will execute you on the spot.”

A massive pressure enveloped Ernest Horowitz. In that moment, he saw a vision.

A storm raging over the sea.

In the midst of it, he felt as if was standing, weathered and worn, on dilapidated wooden planks.

“Ah… Uh… Ugh…”

Overwhelmed by suffocating darkness and endless terror, Ernest Horowitz unconsciously dropped to his knees.

A posture of submission.

Chelsea Goldpixie’s expression twisted at this action.

“Sir Ernest? Sir Ernest! Don’t do this! Hurry, save me! Right now… Agh! Ah!”

Soldiers grabbed and bound Chelsea Goldpixie’s limbs.

“Father!”

Even as Chelsea Goldpixie was being led away, she pleaded with the Duke.

“P…Please, listen to me! Y…You’ll know the truth! I am innocent!”

In response to her pleas, the Duke uttered a single word to Chelsea.

“Incompetent.”

Upon hearing these words, Chelsea’s eyes widened as if in disbelief.

“Our family almost suffered a great calamity because of you.”

“Father… I-I…”

“Recalling you was the biggest mistake of my life.”

The Duke’s tone carried a deep sense of disdain.

“N…No! It’s not true! I…”

“It seems futile to continue listening. Soldiers, take her away.”

“Father! Fa… Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”

The soldiers dragged Chelsea Goldpixie out of the training ground.

Tears streamed down Chelsea Goldpixie’s eyes.

At that moment, someone entered Chelsea Goldpixie’s line of sight.

Damien Haksen.

He gazed at her with a mocking smile.

“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”

Chelsea Goldpixie glared at Damien Haksen as if she would kill him if released.

The soldiers took Chelsea Goldpixie outside the training ground.

Soon after, Chelsea Goldpixie’s screams abruptly ceased.

“This is a headache.”

Once Chelsea Goldpixie disappeared, the Duke sighed.

“I never expected her to be so deeply connected to dark magic. If this fact is revealed, the Church won’t stay quiet.”

The Church’s obsession with Dark Mages was so notorious that everyone knew about it, even someone from the Goldpixie Duchy.

Even as the Duke of Goldpixie, he couldn’t resist the Church’s intervention in this matter.

“Let’s postpone the troublesome matters and deal with the Church first.”

Saying so, the Duke turned to Damien Haksen.

“Damien, what kind of trickery did you play for Guillaume Blackwing to end up like that?”

“I’m not sure either. However, the technique that I use inflicts internal injuries upon my opponents. I suspect it broke the dark magic inside Guillaume Blackwing’s body.”

The Duke’s interest was piqued by Damien’s explanation.

“A technique that inflicts internal injuries? Quite unique. Karl, didn’t you mention seeing a knight use a similar technique before?”

“Yes, that’s correct. However, the knight only caused external injuries; he couldn’t inflict internal ones like Damien’s technique did.”

Karl’s praise only heightened the Duke’s interest.

“Even to someone like me, who doesn’t know much about swords, it seems like an extraordinary technique. When did you learn it?”

“I saw a certain knight using a similar technique in the past and created it myself.”

“…You personally created such a skill?”

The Duke questioned incredulously. Damien shrugged in response.

“I’m somewhat of a genius.”

A brief silence followed. The Duke sighed briefly.

“It’s hard to believe you created such a skill after seeing it.”

Damien didn’t say this to flatter himself. The Duke had already conducted several investigations regarding Damien.

Falsifying a story about how he learned the technique might raise unnecessary suspicions. It was better for Damien to be recognized as a genius rather than fabricating a story that could lead to doubts.

Moreover, strictly speaking, it wasn’t entirely a lie.

“Thanks to you, we were able to eliminate a significant threat in advance. Your contribution is beyond words.”

The Duke opened a spatial pocket and retrieved a blue potion from within.

It was the mana crystallisation elixir he had initially offered as a reward for winning the duel.

“As promised, this is yours.”

Damien accepted the potion offered by the Duke. It felt weightier than he had anticipated, making its potency vividly palpable.

The immense power contained in the elixir was undeniable.

“This potion is just a reward for the duel. It cannot be considered as the reward for this incident. So, tell me about what you need.”

At the Duke’s words, Damien fell into contemplation.

At this moment, Damien could probably obtain anything from the Duke.

However, having acquired the mana crystallisation elixir, there was nothing significant that Damien currently needed. So, instead of actively seeking a reward, he thought that it would be better to leave it as a debt, especially considering that debts tended to grow over time.

“This incident happened by chance. There’s nothing worthy of reward for it.”

The Duke nodded at Damien’s words.

“Even if it was by chance, the fact that you saved the family remains unchanged.”

“I am currently a knight of the Goldpixie Duchy, so I only did what was expected from me.”

Damien refused several times. In the end, the Duke had no choice but to step back.

“Well, if you insist so stubbornly, then fine… However, I’ll remember this incident. If you ever need my help, feel free to come and ask me.”

After saying that, the Duke summoned Karl Heimlich.

“Karl, I’ll entrust you with military authority. Take the knights and soldiers and apprehend everyone associated with Chelsea Goldpixie.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Especially the dark mages who collaborated with Chelsea Goldpixie, don’t let a single one of them escape.”

Upon the Duke’s command, Karl Heimlich kneeled on one knee.

“Everyone, listen. You must cooperate as much as possible with Karl Heimlich’s investigation. If anyone fails to do so…”

The Duke’s eyes flashed with intensity.

“I will consider them as having sided with Chelsea Goldpixie to destroy the family!”

At the Duke’s sharp warning, the attendants involuntarily trembled.

[Quality Checker – Kawaii]